There was a groundbreaking Wednesday in Pierce County for a major road project expected to jam up traffic over the next few years.
To help ease the congestion, the City of Fife is reconfiguring roadways surrounding Love’s Truck Stop on Port of Tacoma Road.
The first phase of this project will divert all northbound traffic onto 34th Avenue East and 12th Street East.
These roads will be widened turning them from small city roads into major arterials.
At the same time, crews will be building new on and off ramps onto I-5 from Port of Tacoma Road to accommodate southbound traffic.
We talked to with the city’s Public Works director Russ Blount about why this project is critical.
“It’s so important to get trucks lined up in the right lane so they can proceed smoothly through the intersection,” said Blount.
The city is asking drivers to be patient as there will be some closures and lane shifts to make room for construction.
The first phase of this project is expected to last two years.
The second phase will include building a new bridge over I-5.
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